Effects of contaminated pool water

July 23, 2006

Albany - - All summer long, people have hit area swimming pools to cool down from the high temperatures. Whether you swim for sport or recreation, many people often forget the importance of water-borne illneses that can develop just from swimming in your local pool.

When you swim, you're sharing water with others. If a person is sick, that person can contaminate the water for everyone else who is swimming.

According to the Center for Disease Control, contaminated recreational water can cause a number of illnesses like diarreha or skink, ear, eye, and upper respiratory infections.

"I think about it sometimes especially if we come out here and the pool looks dirty but I'm hoping it's safe. I hope the chemicals kill all the bad germs...we don't want to get sick," says parent Carmen Emerson.

The C.D.C. says children wearing diapers are more likely to contaminate water. Some germs such as Cryptosporidium, or Crypto, may take days to be killed off by chlorine, increasing the risk of becoming ill.